Page 14 of Beyond Rosy Irish Twilight

After he walked away, I turned to Patrick who stood rigidly outside the door, playing his part well. “Keep your eyes peeled. I want to know if any of his guards seem particularly interested in Jade.”

“Already on it, boss.”

I started to walk past him and stilled, turning my head to glare at him. “Don’t fucking call me that.”

His lips twitched with humor. “Sure, boss. Anything you say, boss.”

I growled in frustration and shoved the door open. “Get dressed. We’re leaving,” I snapped.

She immediately tossed off the covers, but flinched as she shifted on the bed. This ruse about not liking to be drugged was going to end as soon as we were back at the apartment. She was clearly in pain, but she pushed through it as if to prove a point.

I stalked over to the chair and picked up the bag her father must have brought. Or more likely, one of her guards. I turned just as she was standing and the pain was evident on her face. I tossed the bag on the bed and opened it, pulling out some clothes for her. This was going to take forever if I let her get dressed alone. I grabbed the underwear and knelt at her feet.

She stilled and sucked in a breath, forcing me to look up at her. Her eyes watched me carefully before she lifted one foot and slid it inside as she steadied herself on the bed. I did my best not to look at her muscular legs or her thighs as I slid her underwear up her toned legs. My fingers stalled as the gown slid up just enough for me to get a peek at her slick pussy. I swallowed hard and tried my best not to stare.

Neither of us moved for what felt like minutes. My eyes didn’t drift away from her sex, and she didn’t try to cover herself up. But she was turned on. That much was clear when she shifted and I got a whiff of her arousal. Fuck, that made this really difficult.

I stood suddenly, turning away from her. This was not about sex. This was a business arrangement and nothing more. I had to get that clear in my head before this wedding. It was best if I stayed away from her and focused on taking down her father. Anything else would blur the lines between us and make me second guess every move I made.

And I couldn’t afford that. Both our lives were on the line.

“I’ll be outside.”

I shoved through the door and stormed off as Patrick chuckled at my back. That stupid fucker, he could go jump off a bridge.

6

JADE

I squeezed my legs together as he stormed out of the room. What the hell was that? My legs almost collapsed underneath me from his sheer masculine aroma. Holy fuck. I leaned heavily on the bed and it had nothing to do with the pain wracking my body. I was turned on, and that was something I never thought would happen with a man like him.

I couldn’t afford to think of him in a sexual way. He was no better than my father, doing illegal shit just because he could. I hated everything my father stood for, and that was precisely the reason I was in deep shit with him. It didn’t matter what I thought of Asher, if he was sexy or kind to me. In the end, he was just another megalomaniac that was hell bent on gaining power. And if I stood in his way, he’d turn on me just like my father had.

I pulled out the rest of my clothes and finished dressing. When I was done, I zipped up my bag and headed for the door, though it was at a slower speed than when Asher exited. As soon as I opened the door, Patrick was there, taking the bag from me.

“This way, Ms. Buchanan.”

I huffed in annoyance at another person calling Ms. Buchanan. Just once, I wanted someone to talk to me like a real person. “Call me Jade.”

“Alright, Jade. Call me Patrick.”

“Not Pat or Patty for short?”

He stopped and scowled at me, but there was a playfulness to his face. “I’m not Irish.”

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to offend,” I answered.

“It’s alright. Just don’t make that mistake again. Otherwise, I’ll be forced to torture you with tickles.”

My breath caught at the word torture. For just a brief moment, my head swam and my skin itched. I had the overwhelming sensation of ants crawling all over me, but fought off the panic. I was in the hospital, and this was not one of my father’s guards. I was okay.

“Hey,” Patrick asked, his hand clasping around my upper arm as I swayed on my feet. “Are you okay?”

“Uh…” I shook my head, fighting off the memories that threatened to swallow me whole. I smiled slightly, trying to throw him off the scent he was so clearly chasing. “Just a little dizzy. I just need to get to the car and sit down.”

“Maybe we should get you a wheelchair.”

“No,” I laughed slightly. “I’m okay now. It passed.”

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